ISO Dr. Grabow Continental Series X Pipes (1959)

[gio-vito]

Hello everybody, this is my first post here, as the title states, I’m searching for the full set of 12 continental style pipes from Dr. Grabow. “12 unique shapes released in 1959. These were mail order coupon pipes only. Not sold in stores. A coupon pipe was only available for sale after a customer collected up to 25 coupons from various tobacco tin/tubs.” - danielplanview, a member on here. I had found advertisements for these pipes a few months ago while looking at 50s style pipes, and after doing a little googling recently, I found Daniel’s forum page, this website, and learned a lot more about these pipes, and pipes in general from that time.

I’m really hoping i can find a few for sale here, eBay hasn’t netted any results yet, but i’m just starting this search. If anyone can throw me more information, things to search for, things to look out for when buying older pipes like this, anything is appreciated. Ideally, I’d like to have all 12 in smooth finish, but i’m not going to be picky.

 

[joeman]

I have at least a couple of the Continental shapes available. I am also the current administrator of the Dr Grabow Collectors Forum. Feel free to hit me in messages.

 

[The Benedictine]

Can't post here yet. 100 post minimum.

Delete @didimauw

 

[gio-vito]

Can't post here yet. 100 post minimum.

Delete @didimauw

100 post minimum, does that mean comments? i thought this counted as post

 

[The Benedictine]

100 post minimum, does that mean comments? i thought this counted as post

You have 2 posts

 

[ssjones]

You have this in the tobacco classifieds section (and don't yet have privileges to post here).
Moved to Pipe Talk.
Welcome to the forum, if anyone here can find your Grabow, it is this group. (finding the full set could be a tall order)

 

[gio-vito]

You have this in the tobacco classifieds section (and don't yet have privileges to post here).
Moved to Pipe Talk.
Welcome to the forum, if anyone here can find your Grabow, it is this group. (finding the full set could be a tall order)

Oh, ok. My mistake, thank you. I’m sure it’ll take a while, (and be a bit expensive haha), but I enjoy the hobby and I’m excited to see where this goes.

 

[Briar Lee]

Hello everybody, this is my first post here, as the title states, I’m searching for the full set of 12 continental style pipes from Dr. Grabow. “12 unique shapes released in 1959. These were mail order coupon pipes only. Not sold in stores. A coupon pipe was only available for sale after a customer collected up to 25 coupons from various tobacco tin/tubs.” - danielplanview, a member on here. I had found advertisements for these pipes a few months ago while looking at 50s style pipes, and after doing a little googling recently, I found Daniel’s forum page, this website, and learned a lot more about these pipes, and pipes in general from that time.

I’m really hoping i can find a few for sale here, eBay hasn’t netted any results yet, but i’m just starting this search. If anyone can throw me more information, things to search for, things to look out for when buying older pipes like this, anything is appreciated. Ideally, I’d like to have all 12 in smooth finish, but i’m not going to be picky.

Hello everybody, this is my first post here, as the title states, I’m searching for the full set of 12 continental style pipes from Dr. Grabow. “12 unique shapes released in 1959. These were mail order coupon pipes only. Not sold in stores. A coupon pipe was only available for sale after a customer collected up to 25 coupons from various tobacco tin/tubs.” - danielplanview, a member on here. I had found advertisements for these pipes a few months ago while looking at 50s style pipes, and after doing a little googling recently, I found Daniel’s forum page, this website, and learned a lot more about these pipes, and pipes in general from that time.

I’m really hoping i can find a few for sale here, eBay hasn’t netted any results yet, but i’m just starting this search. If anyone can throw me more information, things to search for, things to look out for when buying older pipes like this, anything is appreciated. Ideally, I’d like to have all 12 in smooth finish, but i’m not going to be picky.

For reference —-

3 Year Journey: Complete Set of Continental X-Series (Pic Heavy) :: Pipe Talk

A 3 year treasure hunt is nearly over. I've finally acquired a complete set of Dr. Grabow Continental X-Series. 12 unique shapes released in 1959. These were mail order coupon pipes only. Not sold in stores. A coupon pipe was only available for sale after a customer collected up to 25 coupons...

pipesmagazine.com

——

Please share Daniel’s forum page.

——

The X men at Dr Grabow were hard at work there.


It sounds like a great idea. You’ll get free advertising on the tobacco tins and tubs, and the smart June Cleaver Green Stamp collector will clip them and get 25 and buy Ward Cleaver a pipe and she’ll buy 300 tubs or tins of tobacco and get Ward the entire set, with some help from Wally and The Beave.

Ward already has a drawer full of ties and cuff links.

But that’s a whole bunch of tobacco for June to buy Ward, a whole lot.

This seemed to have worked better.



I wonder if Sydney Sweeney might peddle Dr Grabow pipes next?

Mah pipes arh brown.

 

[gio-vito]

For reference —-

3 Year Journey: Complete Set of Continental X-Series (Pic Heavy) :: Pipe Talk

A 3 year treasure hunt is nearly over. I've finally acquired a complete set of Dr. Grabow Continental X-Series. 12 unique shapes released in 1959. These were mail order coupon pipes only. Not sold in stores. A coupon pipe was only available for sale after a customer collected up to 25 coupons...

pipesmagazine.com

——

Please share Daniel’s forum page.

——

The X men at Dr Grabow were hard at work there.


It sounds like a great idea. You’ll get free advertising on the tobacco tins and tubs, and the smart June Cleaver Green Stamp collector will clip them and get 25 and buy Ward Cleaver a pipe and she’ll buy 300 tubs or tins of tobacco and get Ward the entire set, with some help from Wally and The Beave.

Ward already has a drawer full of ties and cuff links.

But that’s a whole bunch of tobacco for June to buy Ward, a whole lot.

This seemed to have worked better.

View attachment 408723

I wonder if Sydney Sweeney might peddle Dr Grabow pipes next?

Mah pipes arh brown.

I was wondering how to share his post, i didn’t know if i could just copy and paste the link or if I had to forward it, either way, thank you for sharing it!

Interesting, I didn’t know that they were just availible for purchase like that, I thought it was strictly a mail order thing.

“Mah pipes are brown” amazing!

 

[Briar Lee]

I was wondering how to share his post, i didn’t know if i could just copy and paste the link or if I had to forward it, either way, thank you for sharing it!

Interesting, I didn’t know that they were just availible for purchase like that, I thought it was strictly a mail order thing.

“Mah pipes are brown” amazing!

I had a genius friend who invented the arial wire marker (those orange balls on wires around airports and at heliports and across big rivers) and Jack used to say there are two and not three ways to sell any product, either an appeal to sex or an appeal to avoid dying.

I’d say Jack, what about money, and he’d say money just buys you better sec and postpones death longer.


A younger generation has no doubt any idea of what Green Stamps were.

——

S&H Green Stamps was a line of trading stamps popular in the United States from 1896 until the late 1980s. They were distributed as part of a rewards programoperated by the Sperry & Hutchinsoncompany (S&H), founded in 1896 by Thomas Sperry and Shelley Byron Hutchinson. During the 1960s, the company issued more stamps than the U.S. Postal Service and distributed 35 million catalogs a year.[1] Customers received stamps at the checkout counters of supermarkets, department stores, and gasoline stations among other retailers, which could then be redeemed for products from the catalog.[2] Top Value Stamps ceased operations in the early 1980s, after which S&H accepted savings books for those who had unredeemed Top Value books, before S&H itself ceased business.[3]

——-

Every grocery store I ever saw issued Green Stamps—-until they didn’t.

Women used them to buy gifts usually for their men.


They died out with the —

Dreams of the Everday Housewife

 

[gio-vito]

I had a genius friend who invented the arial wire marker (those orange balls on wires around airports and at heliports and across big rivers) and Jack used to say there are two and not three ways to sell any product, either an appeal to sex or an appeal to avoid dying.

I’d say Jack, what about money, and he’d say money just buys you better sec and postpones death longer.


A younger generation has no doubt any idea of what Green Stamps were.

——

S&H Green Stamps was a line of trading stamps popular in the United States from 1896 until the late 1980s. They were distributed as part of a rewards programoperated by the Sperry & Hutchinsoncompany (S&H), founded in 1896 by Thomas Sperry and Shelley Byron Hutchinson. During the 1960s, the company issued more stamps than the U.S. Postal Service and distributed 35 million catalogs a year.[1] Customers received stamps at the checkout counters of supermarkets, department stores, and gasoline stations among other retailers, which could then be redeemed for products from the catalog.[2] Top Value Stamps ceased operations in the early 1980s, after which S&H accepted savings books for those who had unredeemed Top Value books, before S&H itself ceased business.[3]

——-

Every grocery store I ever saw issued Green Stamps—-until they didn’t.

Women used them to buy gifts usually for their men.


They died out with the —

Dreams of the Everday Housewife

Interesting, I had no idea about any of this. If there were that many stamps floating around, are these pipes hard to track down? If so, what’s the price range for these?

 

[Briar Lee]

Interesting, I had no idea about any of this. If there were that many stamps floating around, are these pipes hard to track down? If so, what’s the price range for these?

They needed 25 stamps!

The housewife would see the ad, and she’d want her man to have one of those Contental pipes. (Sexy they are indeed)

A pipe isn’t as dangerous as a cigarrete and especially not a filter pipe! (He will live longer)

But the flaw in the scheme is the man had to be already a confirmed pipe smoker.

And he had to like whatever brand had those Dr Grabow coupons.

She might buy him 25 coupons worth of tobacco each week at the grocery store, then maybe have the brats select Daddy’s pipe, or she might.

But for one housewife to buy 300 tins or tubs of tobacco likely never ever happened.

Not even Sydney Sweeny could sell one woman a dozen of those.

That is far beyond the usual generosity of the—-

Queen of the House

The sixties were bursting with housewives who would record one monster hit housewife fantasy song and live on the royalties the rest of their lives.

Two more examples

Yes, Mr Peters

The answer song

Hurry, Mr Peters

They sold a lot of merchandise


As to the pipes—they were high end Grabows, nothing more.

A man would get one as a present and he’s very likely to have not smoked it up.

When he went out with Mama is likely the only time it got smoked.

A full set of 12, would be a chore.

Just one, might cost $20, or so.

 

[joeman]

Having much more than a single set of 12, and having refurbished likely 100 or more Continentals...very few are found in "unsmoked" condition today.

The Continental prototypes were made in 1959 after Gracen Lucas and Jimmy Jones evaluated pipes from around the world, then designed and made one each of roughly 100 shapes. Their management team and sales determined which shapes to make based on style, but also which they could feasibly make in production...and 12 were chosen. Each received a special "X Series" model number, as well as a factory shape number. None were stamped with the model, but "some" were shape-stamped. They made them from 1960 - 1964. While they cost just a bit more than standard Grabow shapes, they were still a working man's pipe. But in those years...these 12 shapes were a massive departure in artistic shape from standard Grabows. They sold extremely well, and at a time when Grabow needed a sales boost.

I met Gracen Lucas (now 85 years old), and have seen all of the leftover prototypes. I shined up and sold one of the prototypes for him (on eBay) last fall, and it brought him over $200. I'm happy to own some of these prototypes, and have also distributed some among the standing members of the Grabow forum.

That's the very quick version of the Continental tale.

 

[ssjones]

Having much more than a single set of 12, and having refurbished likely 100 or more Continentals...very few are found in "unsmoked" condition today.

The Continental prototypes were made in 1959 after Gracen Lucas and Jimmy Jones evaluated pipes from around the world, then designed and made one each of roughly 100 shapes. Their management team and sales determined which shapes to make based on style, but also which they could feasibly make in production...and 12 were chosen. Each received a special "X Series" model number, as well as a factory shape number. None were stamped with the model, but "some" were shape-stamped. They made them from 1960 - 1964. While they cost just a bit more than standard Grabow shapes, they were still a working man's pipe. But in those years...these 12 shapes were a massive departure in artistic shape from standard Grabows. They sold extremely well, and at a time when Grabow needed a sales boost.

I met Gracen Lucas (now 85 years old), and have seen all of the leftover prototypes. I shined up and sold one of the prototypes for him (on eBay) last fall, and it brought him over $200. I'm happy to own some of these prototypes, and have also distributed some among the standing members of the Grabow forum.

That's the very quick version of the Continental tale.

Thanks for recounting your experience. If not for these threads, much of the story would likely be lost to time.

 

[gio-vito]

Having much more than a single set of 12, and having refurbished likely 100 or more Continentals...very few are found in "unsmoked" condition today.

The Continental prototypes were made in 1959 after Gracen Lucas and Jimmy Jones evaluated pipes from around the world, then designed and made one each of roughly 100 shapes. Their management team and sales determined which shapes to make based on style, but also which they could feasibly make in production...and 12 were chosen. Each received a special "X Series" model number, as well as a factory shape number. None were stamped with the model, but "some" were shape-stamped. They made them from 1960 - 1964. While they cost just a bit more than standard Grabow shapes, they were still a working man's pipe. But in those years...these 12 shapes were a massive departure in artistic shape from standard Grabows. They sold extremely well, and at a time when Grabow needed a sales boost.

I met Gracen Lucas (now 85 years old), and have seen all of the leftover prototypes. I shined up and sold one of the prototypes for him (on eBay) last fall, and it brought him over $200. I'm happy to own some of these prototypes, and have also distributed some among the standing members of the Grabow forum.

That's the very quick version of the Continental tale.

Wow!! That’s a really fascinating history, thank you for sharing, i would love to see some pics of these prototypes!

Makes me feel a bit better knowing the continentals were very successful, knowing that i have a bit more confidence in trying to find them all.

 

[Briar Lee]

Having much more than a single set of 12, and having refurbished likely 100 or more Continentals...very few are found in "unsmoked" condition today.

The Continental prototypes were made in 1959 after Gracen Lucas and Jimmy Jones evaluated pipes from around the world, then designed and made one each of roughly 100 shapes. Their management team and sales determined which shapes to make based on style, but also which they could feasibly make in production...and 12 were chosen. Each received a special "X Series" model number, as well as a factory shape number. None were stamped with the model, but "some" were shape-stamped. They made them from 1960 - 1964. While they cost just a bit more than standard Grabow shapes, they were still a working man's pipe. But in those years...these 12 shapes were a massive departure in artistic shape from standard Grabows. They sold extremely well, and at a time when Grabow needed a sales boost.

I met Gracen Lucas (now 85 years old), and have seen all of the leftover prototypes. I shined up and sold one of the prototypes for him (on eBay) last fall, and it brought him over $200. I'm happy to own some of these prototypes, and have also distributed some among the standing members of the Grabow forum.

That's the very quick version of the Continental tale.

Were they coupon sales only at the start, or through the entire run?

 

[joeman]

While certain lines of the Continental X-Series (including Westbrook, Emperor, Sculptura), were initially only available through redeeming coupons, other lines (including Viscount, Starfire, Eldorado) were sold via retail without coupons.